Here at OIT, it is one of our highest priorities to listen to our campus community; discover how they use technology in their work, and learn about their needs and desires for the short and long term. We do this in many ways, including through our multiple IT governance committees. Five years ago, a Student Advisory Board (SAB) was created to provide a way for our most spirited and dedicated Mustangs to provide their first-hand insights on how technology impacts their SMU experience.
Meeting monthly during the academic year with SMU CIO Michael Hites, the SAB engages in critical discussions and works to engage the student body by distributing student surveys. Feedback from these surveys and the experiences of the board members themselves provide invaluable information that is then implemented alongside the rest of the IT Leadership Council governance group to dictate our future project portfolio.
Dr. Hites speaks highly of this dynamic group of students. “The SAB is instrumental in not only bringing us information and ideas from their perspective but also bringing our work to the larger student community through increasing awareness across campus. It has been an honor to have every student advisory board chaired by the student senate president. The chair tries to balance the committee by having as many different majors and minors as possible and selecting students from throughout their academic careers. The board was instrumental in improving the online registration experience, improving technology in the classroom, navigating technology use during the pandemic, and improving cybersecurity. The group is always a pleasure to work with. Their energy and ideas help OIT to improve year after year.”
A small sample of the wide portfolio of projects the SAB has taken part in includes the implementation of the new my.SMU Student Dashboard, classroom technology equipment upgrades, STABLE implementations, SMUFlex, printing services, and many more.
We would like to recognize and celebrate five fantastic years of student involvement in IT governance! OIT thanks all who have served on the SAB for their work towards making SMU an even better hub of student success, and we look forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration.
